The present invention relates to a procedure and to an apparatus for post-facing of elevator car door and landing door.
The structure of existing door panels is such that the door panels must already have a finished surface when they are delivered from factory. The door panel surface is part of the skeletal structure. The door panel is generally covered with a plastic foil to protect it against scratching during transport to the site of installation. In some models, the facing material and the raw door panel are separate parts. In this case, the facing material is attached to the raw door panel at the factory by gluing and using mechanical joints. Door panels are often damaged during transport and installation, so the plastic foil is only removed just before the elevator is taken into use. The commonest forms of damage are scratches and dents in the door panel surface. However, the damage seldom affects the skeletal structure of the raw door panel, but usually its facing. Because of the structure of the door panel, the only way to repair the damages is to deliver a new door panel to the site of installation. This leads to unnecessary expenses and retards the installation work, and the facing material must be selected at an early stage before the doors are fabricated.
The object of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks described above. The procedure of the invention for post-facing of an elevator car door and landing door comprises providing a door panel having a substantially planar forward surface and fastening stoppages disposed proximate to edges of the substantially planar surface; providing a facing component having fastenings and edging along at least one of its edges; providing a coupling agent on at least one of the door panel and the facing component; fitting the fastenings of the facing component to the fastening stoppages of the door panel, the fastenings extending through the substantially planar forward surface of the door panel; engaging the edging of the facing component with an edge of the door panel; and pressing the facing component against the door panel. The apparatus of the invention for post-facing of elevator car door and landing door comprises fastening stoppages disposed proximate edges of a substantially planar forward surface of a door panel; and fastenings proximate a first edge of a facing component, and edging proximate a second edge of the facing component, wherein the fastenings of the facing component are engageable with the fastening stoppages of the door panel, the fastenings extending through the substantially planar forward surface of the door panel when engaged with the fastening stoppages, and an interior surface of the edging is engageable with an exterior surface of the door panel when the facing component is pressed against the door panel.
According to the invention, the skeletal structure of the door panel, i.e. the raw door panel, is made sufficiently rigid and bent into a box-like shape, and it is mounted as such on the overhead supporting beam. The facing material can also be glued to the panel at the factory, but the idea of the invention is that the facing material is glued onto the skeletal structure afterwards without removing the installed raw door panels just before the elevator is taken into use.
Advantages of this structure include: less damage due to bruising; the facing can be mounted just before the elevator is taken into use; no temporary door panels are needed; the skeletal structure is rigid; the facing material can be selected after delivery; it is cost-effective; and the raw panels can be used during the entire installation period.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.